Olivia George 1

My Philosophy of Education

In this paper I will be sharing with you my personal philosophy of education through my

views on teaching and learning styles, what I believe education should be, and what I have

experienced in classrooms so far. My own teaching and learning styles, how I view today’s

scholastic system, and my experiences within it have all had a significant impact on the ideas I

carry about education. Growing up in the American education system, while also having the

influence of the internet afforded me the opportunity to see perspectives outside of what I was

immediately familiar with and develop more of an understanding of what I believe works in

education. Through these experiences, diverse world views, and my collection of information I

have formed very pointed opinions on education and the learning and teaching processes. With

these aspects in mind I am able to convey a clear picture of my philosophy and how I will carry

these ideas with me into my future classroom.

Upon researching the various styles of learning and teaching I have discovered that I am

a visual learner, and my intelligences focus on nature, language, and social learning. Being a

visual learner, I understand concepts by writing things down, looking at and drawing pictures,

reading, and using color to enhance my notes. Based on the intelligences that I fall under I am

sensitive to the natural world and environment; I enjoy seeing, hearing, and speaking words and

am motivated by books, records, dramas, and opportunities for writing; I like to develop ideas

and learn from other people, talking through ideas with others in group discussions, and

discussing a topic with another person one on one. Knowing this about myself has helped me

understand how I can be a better learner; taking this into consideration as I think about my

future classroom, I believe it is very important to have your students understand how they learn
 Olivia George 2

best and be able to implement the different styles for each individual. My teaching style leans

toward progressivism with influence from social re-constructivism and existentialism as well.

These philosophies combine learning through experience and focusing on the students needs, l

learning through understanding others viewpoints and politics, and integrating freedom and

choice for students within their educational careers. I believe that in a perfect classroom, all of

these methods will come together for the benefit of the students learning process, which is what

I will strive to achieve in my future as an education professional.

I believe that education is a necessity, it is the most important tool a person can have,

and there are an abundance of improvements that can be made to the current system. A child

who is educated and is provided the opportunity to grow a diverse world view and a genuine

love of learning is more aligned with our current societies values. If we can foster the curiosity

and eagerness to learn that is inherent in our youth through the schooling system, we can

ensure a future society that has an active voice and a hand in bettering our world. In order to do

that, we must take a hard look into the current climate of our education system in america.

Educators have to make decisions on what they are stressing to our students now and what will

actually help them not only learn the material, but also understand what they need to know to be

productive members of the 21st century society and why they need to know it. If students

understand why they are learning something and are provided real world applications, they are

more willing to actively learn. I believe that we must reconfigure how we approach the teaching

process and begin to focus on the needs of the students as individuals and how we can better

serve them as educators.

Through my personal experiences in different classroom settings, looking at it from both

a student and a teacher perspective, I have learned a great deal about what works and what

doesn’t. As a student I never felt that my individual needs were addressed in the classroom
 Olivia George 3

setting. I enjoyed learning but I did not like school very much. It was always so focused on

teaching to a test instead of learning to genuinely understand a concept. As an incoming

teacher, I want to shift that focus to be centered around learning concepts that will be of use to

students as they enter the world outside the classroom with genuine understanding of these

concepts. Beginning to go through my lower level education courses, I have been able to

experience an inside look at education and the teaching process. This has been incredibly

helpful in bolstering my understanding of the system and learning how it really works. I have

also been able to realize that the types of changes I want to see in education are not only

supported by others, but entirely possible to implement.

With an understanding of my personal learning and teaching styles, strong beliefs about

education, and experience in different classroom settings I have been able to form a coherent

and continuously growing philosophy of education. A scholastic system that is centered around

the students as individuals and the concepts they need to understand in order to be successful

in our present day society provides a place for genuine learning to occur. Implementing this,

along with cultivating curiosity and an eagerness to learn, while providing real world applications

and an understanding of why a concept is being learned, will drive students to be willing

advocates for their own education. These aspects all factor into how I will run my future

classroom and the ideals I will focus on as an educator.